Driftwood
by crusherjaneway
Summary: Finished!!!! Chapter 11 written by Amanda, not me...
1. Pain

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek. I never will. Ha! You can't sue me now, can you? Copyright infringement, sheesh!  
  
Amanda Picard sat on her bed. Every part of her body was in pain. She could feel the  
  
throbbing of her arms, legs, and head as she reclined to lie down. She was in agony; not  
  
only did she just finish a field hockey game, but also she had been working out lately and  
  
her muscles seemed to have nothing left to give. She bitterly recalled the events of the  
  
game. She was on her way down the field (in a holodeck, of course) to score a goal. She  
  
was almost there when a member of the other team slammed into her, knocking her to the  
  
ground and allowing him to run down the field in the other direction and score. She  
  
protested but her claims found no attention; her friends on the team were already leaving  
  
the holodeck, eager to shower off and do their homework. She never needed to do her  
  
night work at home, she always did it while she was supposed to be learning math or  
  
science, two subjects that she had mastered a long time ago. She sighed, now she had to  
  
begin her workout routine, or else she wouldn't get home in time to curtail her parent's  
  
questions. She could hear her mother's voice now: "Why are you pushing yourself so  
  
hard? Do you need us to spend more time with you? Oh my God, Jean-Luc, she isn't  
  
growing up as she should. I was in a lot more trouble when I was fourteen, and I'm sure  
  
that you were. Amanda, do you feel alright?" Amanda smiled as she thought of her  
  
mother. She would, as a doctor, would be more concerned about her daughter's welfare  
  
with the knowledge that she possessed. Amanda was just glad that all she had left to do  
  
was to shower off and then eat dinner with her parents. Then she could go to sleep and  
  
rest until she had to get up in the morning for school. 'Ah,' she thought, 'sleep will feel  
  
great.'  
  
Beverly Picard was famished. All day, willing participants in the field hockey  
  
tournament were inundating her sickbay, bringing their injuries, no matter how critical, to  
  
her attention. She was surprised that Amanda didn't come; she was sure of the fact that  
  
Amanda would be hurt. 'Never mind,' she thought as she left sickbay and went off duty,  
  
'at least I'll get to see her at home.' Beverly smiled as she saw Amanda sitting on the  
  
couch when she entered her quarters. "Amanda," she asked, "how was your day?"  
  
"Fine. Just fine," Amanda answered with a sense of airiness that only an experienced liar  
  
can accomplish. "We didn't win but we got second place, which is good enough." She  
  
smiled, amazed that her mouth muscles were the only ones that didn't feel sore enough to  
  
fall off. "What are we having for dinner?" Amanda asked, hoping that the small talk  
  
would keep her mother from noticing that she couldn't move. "Oh, whatever you want,"  
  
said Beverly lovingly. 'Great,' Amanda thought with relief, 'I can pick.' "Can we have  
  
something soft, like potato soup? I'm in the mood for it." She thought of her stomach  
  
and how much better it would feel with some easy to digest food in it. She remembered  
  
when she first tried potato soup, how she found it in the replicator files and how she tried  
  
it and loved it. Ever since then, she was fond of the concoction. She looked at her  
  
mother. 'I hate lying to her but I can't help it. If she knew that I'm working out so that I  
  
can withstand the stresses of time for my next science project, I'd be grounded for a  
  
week,' Amanda thought. 'On second thought, make that a year.'  
  
Jean-Luc Picard hated negotiations that ran overtime. They kept him away from his  
  
family, not to mention that they were excessively boring. 'When will this end?' he  
  
thought in agony as the two diplomats battled it out. Seeing the look on his face, Wil  
  
Riker proposed an idea: "Perhaps we should recess until tomorrow. Give each party  
  
time to think through their ideas and to clear their minds." The people in the room  
  
readily accepted this idea and the meeting was adjourned. As they walked out, Picard  
  
said to Riker, "I owe you, Wil." "Sir," Wil said with a grin, "you've owed me for a long  
  
time." Both men stepped into the turbolift. "Deck 8." Picard said. "So, how's Amanda  
  
doing?" Wil asked. Picard's face went from bored to slightly worried. 'Bad subject.'  
  
Wil thought. "I don't know Wil. She has been getting thinner lately and she seems to be  
  
completely obsessed with her schoolwork. Every time Beverly prompts her about it, she  
  
gives a completely untrue excuse and continues to do whatever she's doing. Not to  
  
mention that whole field hockey thing; what would possess her to play the sport?" Wil  
  
gave him a thoughtful look and said, "Maybe she is just finding her place. You shouldn't  
  
worry yet; just support her now." Picard smiled; Wil was always the perfect counselor  
  
when Deanna wasn't around. They got off at Deck 8 and Picard entered his quarters.  
  
Sitting on the couch was Amanda, who was reading a padd. Beverly was working at her  
  
desk in the adjoining room. He smiled again; everything was perfect. Amanda looked  
  
up. "Oh, hi daddy," she said without even giving him a second thought. 'Yes, Jean-Luc,  
  
everything is as should be,' he thought with happiness. "What are you reading?" he  
  
asked. For once, Amanda did not lie. "A paper on theoretical mathematics. It doesn't  
  
seem very out of the ordinary to me, though. Anyone could have figured this out." "I  
  
see," Jean-Luc said with a bit of astonishment. He proceeded to Beverly, who smiled at  
  
him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Would you mind having potato soup again?" she  
  
asked while she got up. "Amanda's request." "Sure," said Jean-Luc, who was personally  
  
tired of the food she had been choosing lately, loaded with carbohydrates and some  
  
protein, but not much more. Beverly went in and ordered three servings of potato soup  
  
for them to eat. "Mmmm...good," said Amanda. Beverly and Jean-Luc shared a  
  
look. Beverly set down Amanda's plate and as soon as she did, Amanda began to eat  
  
with fervor, honestly famished. She glanced up at her parent's amazed stares. "What?  
  
I'm hungry," she said with a quick laugh. "Yes..." Beverly said with some  
  
hesitation. "So, when's your science project due?" she asked. "Oh, that's right, I forgot  
  
to tell you. It's due tomorrow." "I see," stammered a worried Beverly.  
That's all I have for now. This chapter is like an orientation to the rest of the story so I promise you that not everything will move this slowly. R/R, adios! 


	2. Amanda Picard, you smart one you!

Disclaimer: Let's get this straight. If you are stupid enough to think that I could be getting any profit from this, you must be either in a mental institution or the guy next door who thinks that the Internet is the end of the universe. Thus, 1)I don't own Star Trek, 2)I never will, and 3)stop thinking I do. Simple, huh? Oh, and before I forget, I don't own the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" either. Not that this is a song fic...  
  
--Personal log, stardate...uh, I don't know, never mind. I got the highest grade in  
  
the class for my project on how choices affect the movement of time. The teacher  
  
recommended me to an inter-federation science fair that deals with projects that are  
  
groundbreaking. I never would have dreamed of this...being able to define the outer  
  
reaches of temporal theories...I guess I'm still in awe of myself. Mom and Dad are  
  
immensely proud; they are bragging left and right. The only bad news is that they won't  
  
leave me alone. I feel like I have two shadows, and they're named Beverly and Jean-Luc  
  
Picard. Anyway, I plan to continue working out so that I can demonstrate how my  
  
project works at the fair in two days. I can hardly wait; I hope I can win. The only  
  
competition from this ship is Trent Jenson, a boy who did his project on holographic re-  
  
imaging. I hope my ideas will take precedence over his; then maybe I can finally feel  
  
like I have a purpose.  
  
Amanda out.- -  
  
Amanda was walking in the hallway on her way to one of the more private lounges when  
  
she saw him. 'Oh, no. Please, God, no.' She saw Wil Riker coming towards her, trying  
  
to catch up with her. She had always liked Wil; it was just that everywhere she went,  
  
someone congratulated her on what had happened. She was tired and needed a break.  
  
'Why can't it be more like the good old days when no one noticed me?' Amanda thought  
  
in silence as she stopped to let him talk to her. "Hello, Amanda. How are you doing  
  
today?" Wil asked, as if she were two. 'Get it over with,' she thought but instead said,  
  
"I'm fine. What brings you down here? Senior officers never come here." "Well," said  
  
Wil, "I just wanted to congratulate you..." 'Ah ha!' Amanda thought. He droned  
  
on about the resonance of what she proposed until she said, at her wit's end, "Wil, I have  
  
to go to do my...homework now." 'Why can't I ever lie to him?' Amanda thought.  
  
"Okay. Just call if you need to talk; Deanna and I would love to see you." "Alright, Wil,  
  
I guess I'll see you day after tomorrow, right?" Amanda asked. "I'll be there with bells  
  
on," Wil said with a smile.  
  
Amanda ran out of the lounge. She knew that she was being stalked by her parent's  
  
friends when she had seen Commander La Forge coming her way. He was her favorite of  
  
all of the senior officers; he was the Chief Engineer and he had taught her most of what  
  
she knew, but still, she would see him in two hours; why was he there, now? She  
  
stumbled through the halls, desperately trying to get to her quarters. She got there just in  
  
time; because on her way around the corner she spotted Worf. She went into her room  
  
and requested some music. "Computer, music. Late twentieth century; something  
  
thoughtful and reminiscing." The computer compiled her request and in no time at all, a  
  
smooth melody was playing. "What is this?" Amanda asked the computer. "Bohemian  
  
Rhapsody, by Queen. Written by Freddie Mercury, produced by..." the computer  
  
went on to list the status of the band Queen until Amanda said, "Computer, enough."  
  
Amanda listened carefully; the song was about a man who killed someone and went  
  
through the feelings of regret. 'How strange is this? It almost exactly mirrors the  
  
implications of my project,' Amanda thought in wonder. She played it again so she could  
  
memorize it; alas, her photographic memory did not fail her. She knew every word. She  
  
played it over and over after that; singing along and thinking. The next thing she looked  
  
at was the chronometer; it said that she was almost late for her class in Engineering. She  
  
left, renewed.  
TWO DAYS LATER, AT THE EVENT OF HER LIFE  
Amanda was nervous, plain and simple. She sat next to her parents, ready to present her  
  
ideas to six judges. The only one that she recognized was Kathryn Janeway, an admiral  
  
that was renowned for her scientific abilities; she had commanded the ill- fated Voyager.  
  
'Wow,' Amanda thought, 'she's a living legend...but so is my dad...' She  
  
watched as Trent presented, getting high praise from the various judges. "Amanda  
  
Picard, please come to present," Janeway called. Nauseated from anticipation, Amanda  
  
went to the podium. 


	3. Accident

Disclaimer: Well, I'm out of ideas on how to mock those who are unable to comprehend my non-profit situation from this story...  
  
NOTICE!!!!!!!!!! It gets weird here, people. Yep, this is where the sci- fi comes in and whoa, are you going to appreciate the PG rating. Now read on! (Children of Dune rocks!!)  
  
Amanda slowly ascended the podium. She looked to the crowd; she could see her parents who  
  
looked as if they were going to cry (or at the very least, her mother), Wil Riker with an impish  
  
smile on his face, Deanna who was looking swamped with the emotions in the room, and Geordi,  
  
who was sitting in the section designated for instructors. 'I hope that Deanna is okay,' thought  
  
Amanda, 'because her empathic abilities seem to have momentarily handicapped her.' Amanda  
  
looked at her notes and then the judges, and then began to speak. "Throughout Starfleet history,  
  
reports have been made about time travel, and alternate universes. One of the most famous, of  
  
course, occurring on the Enterprise-D: the event when Commander Data's head was found in a  
  
subterranean cavern under San Francisco." She looked at the faces in the crowd; a lot of them  
  
were wincing. Commander Data himself was looking on with utmost curiosity. Inhaling  
  
sharply, she continued on, "Commander Data made the choice to save everyone else, knowing  
  
full well the cost of his actions. Now I will demonstrate, using a warp bubble as a method of  
  
time travel, what would happen to this target if I hit it with a phaser blast opposed to throwing a  
  
hard object at it." Amanda took the phaser and fired it at a target she had set up 50 meters away.  
  
Everyone was amazed when she hit her mark, and even more amazed when she put it down and  
  
began again. "The result to the target is total destruction; it no longer exists. Now allow me to  
  
demonstrate another effect by bringing the exact target back, using the same equations that  
  
Commander Data used to reunite with his head." Everyone was intrigued at this point; nowhere  
  
in her project had she ever mentioned actual time travel. She went to a console and began to  
  
move her fingers expertly over the buttons. After a few moments, she began to feel an intense  
  
energy surround her; everyone in the crowd could see her begin to clutch to the panel for dear  
  
life as the energy began to make her flicker in and out of vision. At this point, Data got up and  
  
went to her aid. Beverly Picard sat, locked in horror as her daughter's body began to reach a  
  
breaking point. Data grabbed Amanda's arm and tried to pull her away, but she was almost  
  
glued to the panel. Even he could not pull her off...and the spectators began to really  
  
panic, for his strength was legendary. Suddenly, Amanda phased completely out of vision,  
  
taking Data with her.  
  
Amanda awoke with a pounding headache. She winced as the light from above made her head  
  
hurt more. She continually blinked in order to adjust her eyes to the light, and soon got her  
  
bearings. 'What am I doing in Science Lab 4?' she thought quizzically. 'I was on the planet at  
  
the competition and...' Suddenly, understanding hit her: 'I only used the time travel trick  
  
twice. Once on the planet and once here, in Science Lab 4...this must mean that I created a  
  
gateway, one never forged before.' Her thoughts were interrupted when Data sat up and asked  
  
her, "Are you alright?" She said weakly, "Yes, Data, I think I'm okay...how 'bout you,  
  
anything broken?" she asked with concern. "No, I am functioning within normal parameters," he  
  
stated matter of factly. She sat up and tapped her combadge. "Amanda to Captain Picard."  
  
Nothing. "Perhaps I should try," Data offered. "Data to Picard. Are you there sir?" "Who the  
  
hell is this?" was the response. "Commander Data, sir. Is anything wrong?" he asked with as  
  
much care as an android could possess. No answer. Both sat still in anticipation for a response,  
  
but receiving none, Amanda said: "Maybe we should leave. Maybe it's just a glitch." As they  
  
got up to leave, a full security detail, led by Worf, entered the lab. "It cannot be," Worf said in  
  
astonishment. "What?" Amanda asked impatiently. Ignoring her, Worf called to the bridge,  
  
"Captain, it really IS Commander Data. There is a girl with him." Noting the bruises that  
  
peppered her body, Worf said, "Perhaps the young one should go to sickbay." Picard answered  
  
back, "They should both go to sickbay. Advise Dr. Crusher that they will be arriving."  
  
'Dr. what?' Amanda asked herself. 'My mom hasn't had that last name since she married Dad.'  
  
She was astounded at how dumb her mind could be when shocked. They arrived at the sickbay,  
  
where Amanda was nearly brought to tears when she saw her mother. 'She looks younger,'  
  
Amanda thought sadly. 'Wait...' "Dr. uh, Crusher? What is today's stardate?" Smiling,  
  
Beverly said, "Today's stardate is 4017.3. Why?" "I was just wondering," Amanda said with  
  
curiosity. 'Not only are we in the past,' she mused, 'but we are in a different timeline.' Amanda  
  
noticed how everyone was avoiding Data like the plague. "Why aren't you talking to Data?"  
  
Amanda asked of her mother. "Well, it's complicated." Beverly said with a hint of sadness.  
  
"He's supposed to be dead."  
Howdy folks. I'd just like to say that if you recall, they always do genetic profiles of the new people aboard...which means that there will be interesting times ahead for the Picard trio. Stay tuned and thanks for the reviews!!!!!!! 


	4. Lost

Disclaimer: I wish I made money from this...le sigh.  
  
Beverly Picard was sobbing. Deep, body quaking sobs. She wasn't sure of the last time she had  
  
cried like that, but it seemed to resemble her sobs after Jack's death, then later after Wesley's.  
  
Her face was stained with tears as Jean-Luc held her. "She isn't gone yet, Beverly. She may  
  
have simply..." Picard stopped as he realized that he was talking himself into a ditch. He  
  
was as sad as Beverly was, and for good reason. Their child was missing, gone. He hated the  
  
word gone...it seemed as if there was no hope. He looked into Beverly's eyes, and he could  
  
see the pain of past loves lost. Just then, Geordi came up to them. 'This could be bad,' Geordi  
  
thought, so he told them quickly: "There is an unusually high concentration of chronoton  
  
particles where they disappeared. Any guess is as good as mine as to how she created them; it  
  
doesn't fit any conventional forms." He stood for a moment, trying to provide some sort of  
  
solace, but feeling the idea fruitless, he gave up and walked off to tell Wil the news.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I'm sorry, what's your name?" Beverly Crusher asked Amanda. "Should you not know?" piped  
  
in Data from across the room, "after all, she is your." Thinking quickly, Amanda stopped him.  
  
"Your patient. And my name is Amanda." "Glad to meet you, Amanda," Beverly said while  
  
raising an eyebrow, "I am Dr. Crusher. Do you know where you are?" Amanda stopped. 'What  
  
am I going to tell them?' she mused. 'Crap.' "Uh," she said, not vocalizing her insecurities, "I  
  
think I am on a ship called the Enterprise...that's what I think the Klingon said, at least."  
  
Before Dr. Crusher could ask any more questions, the sickbay door opened. In strode Captain  
  
Picard, coming to SEE Data, if it really was him. The good Doctor prevented him from doing so  
  
for a moment, telling him a few facts about her patients. Amanda used this time to drill Data,  
  
saying: "We can't tell them anything. If we do, it might change things. You've heard this  
  
speech; just don't say anything." In reply, Data said, "But does not my very presence change  
  
their timeline? How would telling them who you are further complicate things?" She almost  
  
smiled; always the logical one, Data was. "Because, Wes may be alive here. He can take us  
  
home." "I see," marveled Data. Picard approached them. "It really is you, Data," said an  
  
astounded Picard. "Yes sir, it is me," answered Data. Amanda tried to keep from laughing.  
  
Their conversation sounded like they had spent many a night at Nostalgiaville. She covered her  
  
mouth and gritted her teeth; her father would question her later. After ten minutes of the  
  
awkwardness, Picard and Crusher began to leave, having Data come with them. "What am I  
  
supposed to do?" Amanda asked angrily. "An officer will escort you to your quarters," Picard  
  
droned. 'Fine, be that way,' Amanda thought, now thoroughly enraged.  
  
Walking the halls. Not for the first time, either. Total and unreserved boredom. Amanda was  
  
now doing just those things. 'Where can I go?' she thought hurriedly. She COULD go to her  
  
quarters and listen to music, but that seemed boring, even though it was relaxing. Suddenly it hit  
  
her: 'Holodeck!' her mind screamed. She ran to the nearest one, Holodeck one, and looked at  
  
the program inventory. One in particular leaped at her. She selected it and entered, only  
  
regretting the fact that she wasn't dressed for the part.  
  
Dixon Hill. The only thing that calmed Jean-Luc Picard any more was Dixon Hill. The  
  
detective story was an elaborate one, filled with intrigue and danger plus all sorts of  
  
backstabbing. And Picard was in the mood for some calming; with the sudden mystery of his  
  
formerly deceased officer, Data, his strength was all but sapped. He invited Dr. Crusher but she  
  
said she had work to do in sickbay and could not come. Saddened by her refusal but growing  
  
happier as he approached Holodeck one, he smiled. Not a particularly original one, but a wan  
  
little smile. He looked at the panel with the directory on it. Who was using his Dixon Hill  
  
program? "The Big Goodbye" was currently in use. 'What?' his mind asked. For a second he  
  
thought that perhaps Beverly was surprising him, but he dismissed the thought. He entered. He  
  
saw golden-brown hair with a hint of red; and for a moment he honestly thought it was Beverly.  
  
Then he took a closer look; it was the girl from sickbay, the one with Data. 'What is she doing?'  
  
his mind questioned. He said out loud, "What are you doing here?" She screamed; she wasn't  
  
expecting company. "I'm sorry sir, but I read the Dixon Hill novels and I just saw the program  
  
and I needed to relax. I'll leave sir, your reputation for hating children is well-known." She was  
  
just guessing; she had only heard that rumor about her father from a childhood tormentor who  
  
said that before she was born, Captain Picard would shoot any child that came into his sight. "I  
  
don't hate children," he said stubbornly, "I just am not a family man, that's all." "Why not?" she  
  
found herself asking before she realized that the words came out. He faltered. Looks of regret,  
  
pain, and anguish filled his face. "I-I am s-sorry sir," she stuttered, fearful of his wrath, "I  
  
had no idea that you were rejected a family. I am an orphan," she spat, quickly lying, "and I  
  
have never known family. I know how you feel." At that moment, she hugged him. Her  
  
emotions and need to get home spilled into that hug. Then as awkwardly as she had met him,  
  
she left, running as fast as possible.  
  
"Picard to Dr. Crusher." "Crusher here Captain." "Would you come to dinner tonight at my quarters?" Picard asked. "Certainly, Jean-Luc," Beverly said. "1900 hours then?" he asked. "I'll be there."  
  
Beverly thought about his dinner invitation; his voice sounded shaky and he seemed to need her.  
  
She walked up to his door. Ringing the bell, she waited. "Come in." Beverly smiled. Just like  
  
old times. She sauntered in, and saw him sitting on the couch, ringing his hands. "What's  
  
wrong, Jean-Luc?" she asked. "Beverly, can I ask you something?" he queried. 


	5. A meeting with Wesley

Disclaimer: I give up!! You people are insane! I work day in and day out (not really) to write for you and THIS is the thanks I get? ::calms down:: Now that that's over, aw here it goes!  
  
NOTE: I used the name "Shaniqua" because its outrageous in the context of Amanda's character...no I am NOT racist!  
  
"Computer, locate Wesley Crusher," our heroine (I'm tired of typing her name) asked the  
  
computer. "Ensign Wesley Crusher is on the bridge," the computer replied. 'Even the computer  
  
seems busy,' Amanda thought in amazement. She had TRIED to talk to Data, but to no avail;  
  
after all, he was helping Geordi with a project in Engineering. "Life sucks," she said out loud.  
  
She didn't know when she heard it before but it seemed to fit her mood. Her mind trailed back  
  
to Wesley. 'I think I'll call him now,' she thought. 'How will I say my name?' she asked herself  
  
when she realized that if she said "Picard" that someone would be suspicious. 'I'll use a fake  
  
name,' she thought with a smile. "Shaniqua to Ensign Crusher." "Crusher here...who is  
  
this?" he asked with good reason. "I just said my name, Weswey. You have no excuse not to  
  
know me now." "What did you just call me..." he asked with an insecure voice. Amanda  
  
could hear several people on the bridge laughing in the background. "You heard me," she said  
  
mischievously. 'Why am I such a bitch when he's around?' Amanda thought. She said,  
  
"Weswey, how are you?" "I'm going to call security if you don't stop now." The bridge officers  
  
were HOWLING at this point, egging Amanda on to say, "Well Wes, if you want to find out  
  
who this is, come to Ten Forward when your shift ends...cause I'll be there."  
  
Wesley Crusher could not BELIEVE what he was doing. After being laughed off the bridge, he  
  
thought about the one person who called him "Weswey" and told himself that it couldn't be.  
  
'She's not here...she can't be here...' his mind rambled. He entered Ten Forward  
  
cautiously. He looked around...he only saw one unfamiliar face. 'Oh my Lord. That's her  
  
hair and there is no way in hell that she's here right now...but there she is,' he thought,  
  
mind going to pot along the way. She got up and greeted him. "Wes, why didn't you be nicer to  
  
me while we were talking?" "You call that talking, little sister? I call it embarrassing your older  
  
brother in front of a bridge of 20 year old ensigns." "Maybe, maybe," she said coyly. They sat  
  
down. "How have you been?" she asked. "Just fine, you?" he replied. "Stop it Wes. Shove  
  
your fears, Wes, because what I represent scares you like hell." "Which is..." he asked.  
  
"Someone who needs your help, and you can't give it...how are you going to send Data and  
  
me back?" "Not both at once, I'm out of practice." "Well then, who goes first?" she asked. "I  
  
can't tell you that! You have to decide. You should go, you know how mom is, no matter what  
  
timeline." "How is that?" an unfamiliar voice asked. Deanna Riker was standing behind them.  
  
"I came to help you get through the bridge incident, Wes. It sounds like you were quite the  
  
fool," she said jokingly. Wes blushed. "No, my friend here just wanted to humiliate me, that's  
  
all." "Your friend has the same mother?" Deanna asked. "No..." Wesley said, lying.  
  
"Wesley, she can tell that your lying," Amanda said, "she's Betazoid, remember?" Shifting  
  
subjects, Wesley asked, "has anyone seen mom?" "You can't get away from me, Wesley,"  
  
Deanna said jokingly. "No, seriously, I want to know how you two are related," she begged.  
  
"Well..."  
  
::cue Looney tunes music:: that's all I have for right now, folks. Stay tuned; it'll get better I promise! Sorry also for the shortness; I try to write at least 750 words but this doesn't seem to make it there. 


	6. Freedom in all respects

Disclaimer: I will disprove the popular theory that I own Trek now. Learn to accept this fact, because I am running out of ideas for the disclaimer.  
  
Deanna sat down. She looked at them formatively. "Well what?" she asked. "Well...,"  
  
Amanda looked into Wesley's eyes for strength, and wasn't surprised when she didn't find any,  
  
"In an alternate universe, Beverly Crusher is my mom." "I sensed a lot of hostility on your part  
  
when you said 'Crusher.' Why?" Deanna asked with a small guess as to why. "That isn't her  
  
last name. It doesn't fit anymore, or at least not to me it doesn't," Amanda said in disgust.  
  
"Who did she marry?" Deanna queried, realizing with a grin who it may be. "Captain Picard, all  
  
right? She married Captain Picard," Wesley interjected. It was obvious that the issue of  
  
different fathers bothered both of them. "Anyway," Amanda continued, "I was born nine months  
  
after the Tsiolkovksy incident." Deanna couldn't hide her smile. "Upon finding out about my  
  
mother's unexpected pregnancy, my father proposed to her, and she accepted. I have come to  
  
terms with the fact that I am, well how to put it, an accident; a slight consequence after a moment  
  
of erroneous behavior." "Well," Deanna said with a worried frown, "you have dealt with your  
  
situation nicely. I must inform Captain Picard of your true roots now, I'm afraid." "NO!" both  
  
Wesley and Amanda shouted at the same time, attracting attention from the other tables. "It will  
  
alter things here immensely if you do," Wesley pointed out in a quieter tone. "Besides,"  
  
Amanda said, "If they find out, will he propose to her again?" Deanna pondered their words for  
  
a moment and said, "Maybe a boost is all that they need...I always feel strong emotion from  
  
the two of them, all the time." "It's not the right boost, though. I couldn't leave knowing I  
  
screwed up this galaxy," Amanda whispered. "Then at least let me tell Wil. He's my Imzadi; he  
  
will find out eventually," Deanna asked. "You can tell Commander Riker," Wesley said. "Just  
  
tell him to keep the secret." "Alright," Deanna said, "and Amanda, would you come to my  
  
quarters later? I want to make sure that you're okay." "Fine," Amanda said while crossing her  
  
arms.  
  
Beverly looked at Jean-Luc; and he was a mess. She sat on the couch, right next to him, and  
  
said, "Jean-Luc, what's wrong?" He replied, "Beverly, do you know what happened today?"  
  
"What," she asked, voice full of concern. "That little girl, the orphan, hugged me," he mumbled.  
  
"And you know what?" he asked, making Beverly lean in closer, "it felt right. It felt right to  
  
hold a child in my arms. I suddenly realized on all I have missed out on, all I gave up just for my  
  
career." "Jean-Luc," she said in motherly tone, "everyone makes a decision the moment they  
  
enter the Academy NOT to put a family first. Every officer eventually has regrets; but we have  
  
to remember that we chose our lives." He looked into Beverly's eyes, and she into his. For a  
  
minute they both sat like that, looking into each other's souls. Then, without warning, she kissed  
  
him on the cheek. Grabbing his hands, she said, "Jean-Luc, I sometimes feel that I wasn't  
  
concerned enough about Wesley. He grew up without a father, and I knew from the moment  
  
Jack died I wouldn't be able to fill that role. I've felt guilty for a long time knowing that I  
  
couldn't be his entire life...and yet he found his way to adulthood. Still, I wonder  
  
sometimes if he was ever satisfied, or if he held back from me. I'll never know." Now Beverly  
  
was almost in tears, and Jean-Luc held her. In that moment, understanding and a renewed part of  
  
their friendship, lost after Anij, reopened itself.  
  
"Really, Deanna, you expect me to believe that?" Wil Riker said incredulously. "Yes," she  
  
replied while putting her arms around his neck. "How?" Wil asked, now intrigued but still  
  
doubtful. "Alternate timeline. She regrets being here, Wil. She feels guilty about making a  
  
mistake." "So that's how Data got here," he thought aloud. "She's coming today," Deanna said.  
  
The chime rang. "That must be her now," Wil said. Deanna said, "Come in." Amanda walked  
  
in, face changing when she saw Wil Riker there. "Oh, you're here," she intoned. "I'll leave, if  
  
you two want to be alone," Wil rebounded. "No," she answered quickly, "it's just, well, you  
  
know...and that alone is kind of mind boggling. I mean, here, they aren't in  
  
love...here, they don't have anyone except Wes, who isn't much of a compensation."  
  
Deanna and Wil both exchanged looks. "Why do you feel the need to do better than Wes?"  
  
Deanna asked. "Because if I don't, I'll never be recognized by my parents. They only come  
  
home to make sure I'm not destroying circuits with some weird experiment. I have to EARN  
  
their respect," Amanda said angrily. Deanna faltered. She had dealt with sibling rivalry before  
  
but never like this. Amanda was a girl with two very successful parents and an even more  
  
prestigious brother. She had to live up to expectations. Deanna put a plan into motion, saying,  
  
"You don't HAVE to be better than Wes at what he does. Find your own interests." Amanda  
  
brightened, saying, "Well, I have been playing field hockey lately. My parents have no idea  
  
why, and I do work out a lot, so I can keep my temper under wraps; maybe I should try to find  
  
other things that I like." The idea that she didn't have to be in any shadow comforted her.  
  
Deanna could see it in her face; she was free. "Hey, do you want to go to a holonovel with me?"  
  
Amanda asked the Rikers. Both of them halted. "Why certainly," Deanna said kindly, "Which  
  
one will we be going to?" "Dixon Hill," Amanda said with confidence, "I know that one like the  
  
back of my hand." All three left the Riker quarters.  
  
How long they had sat in each other's embrace, he did not know. All he knew was that he was  
  
enjoying it. He could feel her chest rise and fall in perfect time with his. 'This is perfect,' he  
  
thought, mind filled with ecstasy. Beverly could feel the emotions passing through him. She  
  
instantly recognized them; they were identical to hers. Neither wanted to kill the moment by  
  
saying anything, it was as if thoughts were porcelain, and if spoken they would break. Jean-Luc  
  
gathered his courage and finally said, "Beverly," but he was overtaken by emotions before he  
  
could say anymore. She turned to let her eyes meet his. "What?" she asked, feeling for a  
  
moment he was going to make it stop. Once again, they both stopped and gazed at each other.  
  
Slowly, they leaned into one another. THEY KISSED. As if a release, they became instantly  
  
comfortable with each other. Not disturbing the "theme" of the first kiss, they kissed lightly for  
  
several minutes. Soon, the mood was changing: Beverly's hand found its way into his shirt and  
  
his hands were in her shirt, encountering her bra and trying to get rid of it. Their kisses were  
  
getting more passionate as well. Her other hand, meanwhile, was pushing him closer to her, her  
  
fingers playing with the hairs on the back of his neck. They were rudely interrupted when Worf  
  
called, saying, "Sir, may I run a security inspection? I need your clearance." Pulling himself  
  
from Beverly, he declared with a gasping voice, "Certainly Mr. Worf." Then he tossed his  
  
combadge across the room, paying attention to more important things.  
  
"Isn't this great?" Amanda asked the Rikers. "It's an accurate description of Dixon Hill. I  
  
absolutely LOVE this dress, don't you agree?" She was wearing a dress that represented the  
  
fashion of the era. Deanna was too, and Wil looked excellent in a suit. "Yes," Deanna said  
  
distractedly, "I do like this dress...I can understand why the women wore these." Amanda  
  
noticed that she was looking at Wil with pure lust in her eyes. He seemed to respond, and in that  
  
moment Amanda remembered that they were Imzadi. "Do you want to leave?" Amanda asked.  
  
"Oh," Deanna said, "sorry. I just was thinking..." "You know that I have seen you look  
  
like you do once before," Amanda said, "It was when two people, who just happened to be my  
  
parents, kissed." Wil laughed and looked at Amanda. "She can be affected by strong emotion. I  
  
didn't know that many people figured it out." Before anything else could be said, Worf called  
  
Wil, saying, "I cannot make contact with either the Captain or the Doctor. Should I get them?  
  
They are both in Captain Picard's quarters." Amanda smiled broadly. 'They do love each  
  
other.' Amanda spoke up, "Perhaps I should get them. After all, I should be used to finding  
  
them, uh, together." Wil agreed and told Worf not to worry about it, he would take care of the  
  
situation. Amanda left the holodeck.  
  
Amanda approached the door. 'Thank God these walls are soundproof,' Amanda thought with  
  
relief. Walking in, she saw them on the couch. She knew what intercourse was, and what they  
  
were doing wasn't that. What they were doing is what most people she knew did on their first  
  
date. Smiling, she tried to think of how to interrupt them without letting them know she had seen  
  
anything. She walked out and rang the chime. It took a few moments, but the word "come"  
  
came from inside the quarters. She entered, saying, "Worf was wondering what was  
  
wrong...Wil tactfully advised Worf that nothing was wrong." "Why are you here?"  
  
Beverly asked from the couch. "I had a feeling that if Wesley came, he would pass out." "How  
  
do you know Wes?" Beverly asked. "I met him in the hall," Amanda lied. "He told me about  
  
himself, and he just didn't seem the type to find hid missing mom." Both Jean-Luc and Beverly  
  
looked at the intruder. "Sorry if I interrupted anything," Amanda said very quietly. "I'll leave." And  
  
with that, Amanda left. 


	7. Food Fight!

Disclaimer: Don't own it. See how boring that was?  
  
**WARNING** NEVER call a girl fat, EVER. Just read on to find out why not.  
  
Amanda was having the most fun she had in a long time. The party in Ten Forward was  
  
great...a wonderful wedding reception. The bride was a historian, so all of the costumes  
  
and food were from ancient Earth. Amanda was wearing short shorts and a halter-top. She  
  
thought she looked great. She was enjoying her cake when Wes came up to her. "Um,  
  
Amanda?" he asked. "What?" she asked with curiosity. "Couldn't have you worn something  
  
more...uh, conservative?" he stated. "Excuse me, Weswey?" she said angrily. "It's just  
  
that, well, uh..." he babbled. "Are you saying that I don't look good in this outfit?" she  
  
said with anger lacing her voice. "No, its just..." he mumbled. Just at that moment, he  
  
couldn't say anymore. Amanda said blankly, cutting him off, "Shove it." With that, she shoved  
  
a handful of cake into his face, smearing it all over. She turned to leave and felt something hit  
  
her back. It was ice cream. Reaching for a nearby ketchup bottle, she aimed for his crotch and  
  
fired. She hit her mark and said, "Would you like me to supplement that with mustard, Wes?"  
  
He glared at her and threw chocolate sauce at her. Deanna looked on in horror as all of the  
  
chocolate hit Amanda full force. Everyone was too stunned to move. Amanda grabbed a pie and  
  
flung it in Wesley's direction. He ducked and it hit someone coming in...Captain Picard.  
  
He seemed engulfed by the pie filling. Amanda rushed to help him, and Wes threw an éclair in  
  
her direction, hitting his mom...who was escorted by Captain Picard. Amanda and Wesley  
  
both looked at one another, terrified. They didn't intend to involve anyone else, much less their  
  
parents. At that moment, Picard wiped the pie off of his face and helped Beverly get the éclair  
  
filling off of her face. "Come with me, NOW," Picard said. Amanda and Wes left, following  
  
Beverly and Jean-Luc. Everyone looked on after they left, wondering what had caused the food  
  
fight.  
  
"...Actions unbecoming of a Starfleet officer...you're an ensign, you should know  
  
better...I don't expect this to ever happen again," Captain Picard lectured. Amanda rolled  
  
her eyes. Her father had no idea that neither herself nor Wesley was listening to his speech. Her  
  
mother just sat there as well, looking at Picard as he spoke. With a final breath, he asked what  
  
triggered the fight. Amanda and Wes slowly turned their heads to look at one another. Amanda  
  
was caked with chocolate sauce and Wes had dry cake smothered on his face. She, at that  
  
moment, found him particularly pathetic. 'Don't laugh, don't laugh, whatever you do, don't  
  
laugh,' she told herself. She looked into Picard's eyes, and realized that laughter was inevitable.  
  
She bit her lip; but it didn't matter, she was going to laugh. So, in order to rectify her loss of  
  
control, she looked at Wes and laughed. He stared at her blankly for a moment and began to  
  
laugh too. Picard looked angry; and Beverly at this point had her head in her hands. "What  
  
started the fight?" Picard asked, breaking through their laughter. "Uh..." Amanda  
  
mumbled, out of lies for the day, "it was a bad combination of cake and 2 hours of sleep," she  
  
said, making Wesley laugh out loud. "Do you have something to say, Mr. Crusher?" Picard  
  
asked dryly. Beverly moved to defend him but stopped. Wesley blinked and then said, "she has  
  
her mother's natural grace, and well, she exploited it today." At this, Amanda snickered. Her  
  
mother was a dancer; she wondered if her mother got the joke, or if she was oblivious. "I also  
  
have my father's ability to blow things out of proportion," she said with a hint of laughter trailing  
  
her comment. Wes looked to her and said, eyes darting to Picard, "Perhaps...or maybe it's  
  
the stubborn streak in the both of them." "That's it!" Amanda said triumphantly. Picard and  
  
Crusher were confused, really, really confused. "Are you okay, Wesley?" Beverly asked with all  
  
the concern a mother has. "No, mom, really, she just doesn't have very good hand-eye  
  
coordination." Beverly raised a skeptical eyebrow. "To be safe," she said, "I'll run some tests in  
  
Sickbay." Picard wasn't satisfied, and he asked, "What caused the fight?" "Oh, well, he insulted  
  
my outfit of choice," Amanda said. Beverly led her out on the way to Sickbay.  
  
"What happened here?" Wil Riker asked no one in particular. Imitating an elderly lady  
  
slamming her cane into the ground, the bride said, "Well, it was better than the planned  
  
entertainment." 


	8. Locutus

Disclaimer: Paramount doesn't own Star Trek. And I'm the Queen of Spain. Ole!  
  
That man wasn't her daddy. She looked up at him again and was now convinced of that singular  
  
fact. His face had, what looked to her young mind, pieces of technology spread over it. The  
  
darkness of the room made it difficult to really see what was on him, though. She could hear  
  
sobbing in the background; she tried to keep from hearing it but to no avail. The words "Jean-  
  
Luc! Jean-Luc! No, Jean-Luc!" kept on piercing her resolves. She looked into the man's eyes,  
  
and at that moment, he said: "I am Locutus of Borg. You will be assimilated. Your biological  
  
and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. Resistance is futile." She  
  
recognized the voice; how could that man be her daddy? He just said that he wasn't. In that  
  
second, she screamed. Long and loud, making the woman in the other room come in and pick  
  
her up into her arms. Her mother asked why she was there, and Amanda answered, "I was  
  
lonely."  
  
Amanda bolted up from her relaxed position in the bed. She inwardly panicked when she didn't  
  
know where she was; but then reality hit her and she calmed down. 'I'm in Wesley's quarters. I  
  
am fine. That was just a dream...it won't happen again,' Amanda thought. But then her  
  
mind dwelled on past experience; and she knew that she always had the dream when she was  
  
thinking of her father. It wasn't a dream really, but more like her mind remembering the first  
  
time she saw him after the assimilation. She had locked that memory away in the back of her  
  
mind and it no longer plagued her during the day like it used to, but still, it came at  
  
night...which was worse. She breathed in and out deeply, flushing her mind of the dream.  
  
Still, bits and pieces clung to her, forcing her to decide to talk about it. She knew that Deanna  
  
was her best bet. Striking her combadge, she said, "Amanda Picard to Counselor Riker." No  
  
response. She repeated her hail. Still nothing. 'This REALLY helps,' Amanda thought with  
  
fear. She knew that there was one person on board that would be able to help her, and would  
  
remember the Borg; but was it safe to ask for the help? 'No,' she decided, 'I will get through  
  
this alone. I don't need help.' And so she lay awake for hours, not able to return to the blessings  
  
of slumber.  
  
Jean-Luc Picard glanced at the chronometer. He was surprised to see that it was already 0200  
  
hours. He put down his Shakespeare, and tried to relax...and couldn't. Was it because he  
  
and Beverly had agreed that their encounter was simply driven by pity for one another? Or was  
  
it getting hit in the face with a stray pie? He knew he was lied to about both; Beverly was as  
  
ready as he was, and was now afraid only because it would mean taking a new step. And Wesley  
  
and the girl covering for each other? His mind was lost on that one. 'My life is muddled by  
  
Crushers at every turn,' he thought with grim humor. He sighed; his life was really falling into a  
  
downward spiral; so he, like his daughter that he had no knowledge of, did not sleep either.  
  
Amanda Picard looked like shit. That was the best way to explain it; her eyes had dark circles  
  
under them and her hair looked untouched. She held a cup of coffee in her hands; but the only  
  
"kick" it gave her was the need to use the restroom. She was somberly looking out the window  
  
when Picard and Riker came in to play a game of 3D chess. Riker knew something was wrong  
  
the moment he laid eyes on her; she seemed unusually frail. She looked to see them and couldn't  
  
keep her eyes on Picard. She just kept on hearing the words "I am Locutus of  
  
Borg...resistance is futile" running through her head. She began to repeat the words "He is  
  
NOT Locutus, He is NOT Locutus" over and over out loud. She barely noticed when Riker  
  
called Deanna and Beverly or when Deanna came up to her and touched her slightly, making  
  
Amanda literally jump out of her seat. Deanna looked to her with kind eyes, and asked, "Would  
  
you like to come with me?" Amanda's mind drew a blank for a second; then she realized  
  
someone was talking to her. "Oh, yeah, sure," Amanda said casually. Inwardly, though, she was  
  
relieved: she wouldn't have to look at the source of her nightmares. She looked and to Deanna's  
  
left, her mother stood. She walked with them to sickbay, and along the way, Beverly asked her  
  
questions about her health. "Didn't you just scan me yesterday?" Amanda sassed, so tired that  
  
she couldn't hide her thoughts about how boring medicine was. "Yes," Beverly said with equal  
  
zest, "but a lot can happen in a day." They arrived in Sickbay and the tests began. "May I speak  
  
to her alone?" Deanna inquired of Beverly. Beverly nodded and left.  
  
"What was the dream about?" Deanna asked as Amanda told her the source of her insomnia.  
  
Beverly was in the background, nonchalantly listening to the conversation. "Locutus," Amanda  
  
said with voice quavering. Beverly stopped. 'What did she say?' "I was little when it  
  
happened, about 3. It's my first photographic memory. I relive it whenever I think about  
  
him...I can remember thinking that that wasn't my daddy." Beverly was now frozen to her  
  
place. 'Jean-Luc? Daughter? DADDY?' Beverly's mind was a vortex that was getting harder  
  
to navigate every minute. Deanna put her hand on Amanda's arm. Amanda continued, saying,  
  
"then he said that he was Locutus, and I knew the voice. Then I screamed. I don't think I've  
  
ever screamed that loud again. Then mom came in and picked me up. I wasn't supposed to see  
  
him like that; all machine and no man left. She asked me what I was doing there and I lied. I  
  
wanted to see daddy, he was gone for too long. And I had heard earlier that he was in Sickbay,  
  
so I went. When mom asked, I froze. It was the first time I didn't listen to her. I said I was  
  
lonely. She seemed to believe me." Beverly wondered who the mother was; and for a moment  
  
thought it could be her child, but pushed the thought away. Deanna had tears in her eyes.  
  
Amanda went on, "and I could hear mom crying out his name in her office. She was crying so  
  
hard, that when she picked me up, she seemed to have no strength left. She shuddered when she  
  
looked at him. I was afraid he was never going to come back by the way she reacted." Amanda  
  
was finished; her eyes brimming with tears. Deanna hugged her and they sat like that for a few  
  
minutes. In an instant, Beverly decided to run a genetic test to see if all of her claims were true.  
  
Wiping a tear from her face, she told Deanna to leave; she had to run more tests.  
  
Jean-Luc was having a grim day. He was losing horribly to Riker, who wasn't making his  
  
captain feel better with even a pity win (Riker had won four games straight) and Picard was  
  
growing tired of thinking of Beverly, and their life, and the event yesterday. He could feel her  
  
lips against his...and it was intoxicating. He could remember other things as well, but  
  
didn't want to think of them, for fear Deanna would hear somehow...she was too good at  
  
picking up his feelings about Beverly. He sighed lightly, and alerted Riker of his despair. "Sir,  
  
is there something wrong?" Wil asked. "No, Number One," Picard said agitatedly, "I just have  
  
never lost so many games in a row before." Wil knew what really was wrong but didn't say  
  
anything; he liked his three pips. In subtle silence they continued to play.  
  
Beverly checked the results again; yes, what she saw was true. 'Damn,' she thought, 'how could  
  
have I been so stupid as to not recognize it?' Her mind soon thought of other things, however:  
  
'How am I going to tell Jean-Luc?' Telling someone whom you've loved for decades that you  
  
two have a child isn't exactly a walk in the park, after all. She thought of when it could have  
  
happened; and she wanted to know, badly. She took a look at the girl and instantly recognized  
  
Jean-Luc's eyes and disposition. She looked again and found her hair on the girl's head. She  
  
also now recognized the temper; that came from her too. Taking a step forward, Beverly called  
  
Jean-Luc.  
  
Captain Picard was half asleep when he received the call from Beverly. He wondered what she  
  
was calling for; certainly she didn't want to give a relationship a chance. "Jean-Luc," she said  
  
desperately, "Come to Sickbay, now." "What on earth for?" he asked. She knew that some  
  
resistance on his part would be there; after all she had led him on (once again) and then pulled  
  
back. She just gritted her teeth and said, "Jean-Luc, you have to see this." Languidly, he left for  
  
Sickbay. 


	9. Verdad

Disclaimer: I've given 8 chapters of disclaimers...so I quit; you're going to have to look back for reference.  
  
**I had help this time; go ahead Amanda, take a bow...*janitor laughs at me cuz she isn't there* NOTE: not the Amanda in the story, you ignoramus.**  
  
Amanda Picard heard her mother call her father...and she instantly wanted to hide under the  
  
bio-bed. She watched and waited; and when her mother wasn't looking she snuck out of  
  
sickbay, desperate to get out of there. 'She knows,' Amanda thought, 'But how?' And then it hit  
  
her. 'The medical scanner,' she realized, 'she completed a scan and it told her.' She hated how  
  
her mind worked under extreme realization: slow and sluggish. Amanda thought about how this  
  
Picard would take it. 'If he's anything like MY father...oh yeah, that's right, he IS my  
  
father...would he propose to her?' Amanda let her mind ramble, just like her body. She had  
  
no idea where she was. Just then, she looked up to see the entrance to the arboretum. Her  
  
disposition brightened; she hadn't been there since she was little. Walking in, she noticed the  
  
romantic elegance of the flowers and the pond; she basked in the glory of the moment, trying not  
  
to let it go.  
  
Beverly Crusher was fuming; not only did she just get the "stubborn" joke but she also noticed  
  
that Amanda had snuck out of sickbay. Not to mention she still had to inform Jean-Luc.  
  
'Dammit,' she thought as Jean-Luc walked into sickbay, looking like he had been heavily  
  
sedated. "What is it Beverly?" he asked with irritation. She paused. She hadn't the chance to  
  
rehearse telling him. She was amazingly strong at this moment; her strength gathered and she  
  
took him to the console displaying the results. He enjoyed the way her hand grabbed his  
  
arm...hell; he enjoyed everything about her. She began to speak. "I have some very  
  
interesting news about or visitor." "And which visitor would that be?" he asked tiredly. "You  
  
know who I mean, Jean-Luc," she said with a sigh. His mind kicked in and he said, "I know,  
  
please continue." "Well," Beverly said, "it turns out that her parents are on board." "Indeed?"  
  
Jean-Luc remarked, surprised, "We should contact them." He glanced at the screen and noticed  
  
that her genetic makeup bore a resemblance to his own. "I already have," she said with a smile.  
  
"And who is the lucky couple?" he asked, curious. He turned his head and stared into her eyes.  
  
She looked straight at him. "We are." Genuine shock filled his face. His eyes widened, and his  
  
thoughts were muddled, 'Beverly and I never...' She didn't honestly expect her mouth to  
  
tell him so easily. He locked onto her eyes, and putting his hands on hers, said, "You and  
  
I..." They both stood still, gazing at one another for a moment. Then he asked, "Where is  
  
she?"  
  
Amanda sauntered over to the pond. She sat down; legs folded under herself, and gently slid her  
  
hands into the placid water. She noticed that it was neither cold nor warm, simply perfect. She  
  
sat, taking in the smells and sensations. The flowers were bright; the water was clear; and the  
  
people making out in the corner were being courteous by not being too loud. She got slightly  
  
depressed when she saw them; she realized that the arboretum was the romantic hotspot on the  
  
ship; and she was the only one there without a date. She fixed her eyes on the stars outside the  
  
window, observing how the stars went by in warp. Amanda was enamored by the way that they  
  
moved; it was almost magical. 'The stars will be my date,' she thought foolishly. The simple  
  
complexity (that's an oxymoron, people) of the moment was interrupted when she heard the  
  
doors open. She didn't turn her head. Why bother?  
  
Beverly Crusher paused. Jean-Luc certainly didn't look like he could tell her; so it was up to  
  
Beverly. Walking towards her, Beverly quietly said, "Amanda?" Amanda's head snapped  
  
toward her, surprised. Beverly's face was motherly; they both knew why she and Jean-Luc were  
  
there. "Amanda," Beverly began, "I ran a test and got some interesting results. Why didn't you  
  
ever say that you were our daughter?" Amanda's face stayed as resolute as before they came  
  
when she said, "I was prohibited by a promise, and so was Data." "Whom did you promise?"  
  
asked Picard, who just came out of his stupor. She glanced at the floor and then stood up,  
  
drawing to her full height, and said, "Wes." "Why?" Beverly asked. "Something about the  
  
timeline...I could go into it but you would bore easily," Amanda stated matter-of-factly.  
  
"Why would Wesley keep us from finding out?" Picard inquired. "How do you know Wes?"  
  
Beverly asked, cutting Amanda off. Amanda waited for a moment before saying, "He doesn't  
  
really like me; after all I am his sister and well, I annoy him." "I see," Beverly said with a light  
  
in her eyes. As if preordained, Amanda got a call on her combadge. "Wesley to Amanda."  
  
Amanda was thrilled; this was going to be fun. "Yes, my Weswey, I am here," she cooed. "I  
  
thought I told you to stop saying that!" he shouted into the combadge. "I decided that it sounds  
  
better than plain old 'Wesley' and besides, it makes people laugh, like mom." "Do you think  
  
she's gotten over the whole éclair thing? I'm afraid to go near her." "Yes, Wesley, I forgive  
  
you," Beverly chimed in. Silence. "Wesley...Wes are you okay?" Amanda asked with a  
  
laugh. "Uh, yeah I'm okay, never better. So she knows, huh?" he said quickly. "As a matter of  
  
fact, we both do Mr. Crusher," Jean-Luc said. Amanda could hear his heart stop. "I have to see  
  
you, Ms. Picard," Wesley stuttered, "We have to work out how to fix the timeline." "Okay!"  
  
Amanda said brightly. "Crusher Out." At this moment Beverly suggest that all four of them  
  
meet at 2000 hours. "I'll tell Wesley to be there," Picard said. With that, her parents left and she  
  
once again was stargazing. 


	10. Fashion sucksand so does love

Disclaimer: I don't own Trek. I don't own Crusher or Picard. All I own is Amanda, which is pretty sad, I guess.  
  
"We have to be there in five minutes," Wesley reminded Amanda with a stern voice. "Yeah, yeah, I know...do you think this color looks good on me?" she asked distractedly. Wes nodded slightly and again told her to hurry up. "I will take as long as I like and you won't stop me," she said in a bossy tone, "and besides, I need to maintain a fashion...something that a rainbow-striped shirt just can't do." Wesley glanced at his sweater. "What? Do you have a problem with what I like to wear?" he asked cautiously. "No...well, yes. But that's besides the point," she said. "Which is?" Wes asked with anger. He turned his head to look at the chronometer. "We have to be there NOW," he said as he went out the door. "I'm coming, I'm coming," Amanda groaned. Hurriedly, she jogged out the door.  
  
Beverly Crusher was nervous. She looked at the chronometer. '1932 hours,' Beverly noted, 'and I have yet to see either Jean-Luc or my children. Where could they be?' Just then, she was jostled out of her thoughts by a door chime. She said "come" as calmly as she could. The door opened and Jean-Luc stood before her. He looked as if he were trying to hide his feelings. "Come in, Jean-Luc," she stated calmly. She walked toward the couch and motioned for him to sit. Reluctantly, he did. She noticed his reluctance and said, "They aren't here yet. It's not like Wes to be this late." Both of them were aware of the space between them; even a few inches seemed like too much. Slowly, they came closer together until they were leaning into one another. Beverly had her head on his shoulder and he had his arm around her waist. They sat like that for a minute until the door chimed. Irritation filled both their faces; Beverly stammered a "come" to the door and Jean-Luc removed his arm from around her. Wes walked in quickly, followed by a slightly disheveled Amanda.  
  
"So, what's for dinner?" Amanda inquired brightly. "Whatever you want," Beverly said carelessly. Amanda froze. 'That's what mom always tells me when I ask.' Amanda blinked, bringing herself out of memory, and said, "My favorite." 'Did we interrupt something?' Amanda thought guiltily. All four sat down. Beverly asked what each wanted and got four orders. She replicated them and they began to eat. No one spoke for a while, eating and thinking. Finally, Wesley broke the ice, asking, "Seriously, what's wrong with stripes?" "It's not the stripes," Amanda alleged, "It's rainbow stripes." "And that's a problem because..." Wes trailed. "Because, no one wears rainbow stripes. They're just a bit...odd. Honestly Wes," she said knowingly. Beverly and Jean-Luc exchanged glances. Wes scowled. Amanda finished quickly, and pulling Wes away from his half-finished plate, said, "That was good. We should do this again sometime. We have to go now." "What on earth?" Wes tried to mutter. "Come ON Wesley," she said strongly, pulling him out the door, and into the hallway. "Bye!" she hollered as they left Beverly and Jean-Luc's sight. Beverly and Jean-Luc finished their meal with some convenient small talk.  
  
"Couldn't you see how much they wanted us to leave?" Amanda chided. "I was eating," Wes commented angrily. "They were hungrier than you were," she said truthfully. "Come on, we can eat at Ten Forward," she said, still dragging him by the arm.  
  
Beverly and Jean-Luc had somehow made it back to the couch. They sat, still talking, until they were in the same position as before. There they sat, happily embraced. At that moment, they were content to sit; but both knew that realization about what had happened (even if in another timeline) and discussion would have to come. Beverly prepared herself; and soon Jean- Luc said, "Beverly?" She turned to him and said, "What?" He looked undecided about what to say, or if she was lucky, do. For a second, nothing in the room moved. Then they just kissed each other. It was like lying, the more you do it, the easier it gets. Soon things were proceeding at a quick rate, for he found her shirt to be an obstacle, and she was more than willing to let him remove the barrier. She wasn't making it easy, however: she kept on trying to get closer to him, a choice that made it impossible for him to undo the shirt. Then, Beverly stopped. She looked into Jean-Luc's eyes and wondered, 'Why are we doing this?' Jean-Luc knew what was happening the moment she pulled away. Her second thoughts really were becoming annoying. "Beverly..." he began, but was stopped by her lips. Having reconsidered, she decided that she loved him enough to be doing this. And so the games continued.  
  
Amanda stood before the entrance to Ten Forward. She recalled how Wes told her that if she knew what looked best on him, then he knew what looked best on her. In a brief moment of insanity, they both agreed to outfit each other and wear what the other gave them to Ten Forward. 'Well here I go,' Amanda thought.  
  
Wil Riker nearly choked on his Terran Sunset when he saw her. She was wearing leather pants and a leather vest, zipped only about halfway up for dangerous cleavage. Her hair was tossed in an odd way. He turned his head only to look at Wesley, walking in from the other entrance. He was wearing a Robin costume. They approached each other with frowns on their faces. "How did I know that you were most definitely a sidekick," Amanda sneered. Wil Riker fumbled with his combadge to try to contact Captain Picard.  
  
When the combadge went off, Jean-Luc Picard paid it no mind. When Riker threatened to make a visual connection, Jean-Luc got up and redressed. "What Number One?" he asked with enough anger to kill someone if heard. "You have to see this to believe," Wil said. "Bring Dr. Crusher with you," Wil added with humor in his voice. Both of their parents dressed and went to Riker's location.  
Next time: what on earth were they doing in there? Will Wes and Amanda finally stop butting heads? Find out next time! 


	11. Getting home

I do not own any star trek characters, if I did we would all be in Hawaii with cabana boys as servants. ::drools:: I also do not own Goo Goo Dolls song Iris or Elvis's Devil in Disguise. Amanda is the creation of the original writer and myself, I've just been asking to finish her story. Hope you all enjoy, and I hope I did it justice. AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! Or a curse I will inflict on your house!  
  
Amanda and Wesley have just been sent to their rooms following that horrid food fight in 10 Forward. Wesley of course, being Wesley, has snuck out of his room and is now playing The Game Of Life in the middle of the living room with Amanda. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tap, tap, tap. "Ha!" cried Wesley as he pulled ahead of his sister on the game route. "Aww damn, it says, 'House destroyed by flood, pay $200 unless insured"  
  
"HAHA!" Laughed Amanda. "You idiot, I TOLD you to buy insurance!"  
  
"Shut up. I'll get the money back, eventually."  
  
Still sniggering Amanda spun the dial. "7, SAWEET!" Moving ahead of her brother yet again she landed on a blank rectangle and waited for Wesley to go. "I have a SERIOUS Ben and Jerry's jones."  
  
"Then go get some?" Wesley stated moving his piece.  
  
"Hmmm, how to get to 10 Forward without being spotted..."  
  
"Go through the Jeffries tubes, the jump down right outside the doors."  
  
"That's why I love you Weswey," she said pinching his cheek, "You have the best ideas!"  
  
"Let go you psycho!" He yelled and pulled away.  
  
"I'll be back big bro, DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah."  
  
Amanda snuck out into the hallway and jumped up pulling down the ladder to the Jeffries tubes and climbed up. "I thought that I was in heaven, but I was sure surprised, heaven help me I didn't see the devil in your eye!" She quietly sang to herself as she crawled through the tubes to the next ladder up. She was currently on deck 8. Two more decks and she could start heading towards the front of the saucer section where 10 Foward was located.  
  
"And I don't want the world to see me, cause I don't think that they'd understand, when everything's made to be broken I just want you to know who I am...Ah ok, here's the next ladder!" Climbing straight up to Deck Ten, she reached it 5 minutes later already breathing heavy. "AHAHA! And I've conquered the mighty Jeffries tube ladder!" Another 10 minutes of crawling towards the front of the ship landed her at a hatch below her and below that the floor in front of 10 Forwards Doors.  
  
"HA! Success! Weswey IS good for something after all!" To herself she muttered, "Besides a door mat for Worf of course." Strolling up to the double doors they immediately opened to reveal her mother and father sitting at a table enjoying a light meal and light conversation.  
  
"EEP!" She cried and lunged behind the bar landing with an "OOMPH!" at Guinan's feet.  
  
"Well hello there," Guinan said looking down. "It's a bit early in the season for flying squirrels isn't it?"  
  
"Heh, just came for the Ben and Jerry's Guinan, WHERE IS IT?" she grabbed the older woman's gown and tugged.  
  
"No need to get testy it's in the fridge under the bar. Just," suppressing the urge to laugh, "drag yourself over."  
  
"Thank you! Hey how's the weather up there anyway? OUCH! THAT HURT! GUINAN WHY ARE YOU..." A distinct male voice interrupted her yelling.  
  
"Guinan, how are you?"  
  
"Just fine Captain. What would you like?"  
  
"An Angorian Ale, and White Wine for Dr. Crusher. Guinan."  
  
"Yes Captain?" She said, fixing the drinks he had requested.  
  
"Were you....talking to somebody...before I came over?"  
  
"Just to my friends here." She stated, matter of factly, holding up a bottle.  
  
"Yes, well, carry on." He said, giving her an odd look and walking away with the drinks.  
  
"NOW I get why you were kicking me! Hehehe. ICE CREAM TIME!" Amanda exclaimed and crawled over to the fridge wrenching it open and taking out her favorite kind, Caramel Chew Chew. "Heaven is an ice cream company, and I'm the head tester!" Stealing a spoon she opened the cover and dove in.  
  
"Are you gonna stay there all night?" Asked Guinan with an amused look on her face.  
  
"No, just until my parents leave."  
  
"Ah, well there they go now." She waved, and continued to wipe the bar with a cloth.  
  
"Really? They just left?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
Amanda jumped up and looked around and came face to face with Data.  
  
"AHHHH! Data you scared the living crap out of me!" She breathed and hid in front of the android looking to see if anyone had heard her. No one had.  
  
"I am sorry Amanda, I was only going to ask Guinan for a drink. I did not mean to startle you. Why were you down on the floor?"  
  
"Just...taking in the scenery." She stammered out and ducked behind the bar again before data could ask her any more questions. Which it looked like he would have for he had his right hand up, his index finger pointed up and his mouth open in classic Data questioning pose.  
  
Glad to be rid of the android, Amanda, clutching her Ben and Jerry's, crept to the end of the bar still hunched over. At the end she peeked her head around and saw that her parents were heading out the opposite door, breathing a sigh of relief she raced out the other doors and around the corner. Stopping only to have another spoonful of heaven. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back at her room she lounged on the couch watching Wesley make a tower of furniture with her kitchen table and chairs. "Hehehe." She giggled and spooned up some more ice cream.  
  
So far he had managed to stack all four chairs on top of one another on top of the table and was now trying to get the 2 lamps to stay correctly.  
  
"So how did your little excursion go?"  
  
"Just fine, just fine. Ran into mom and dad. Not literally, but they were in there. Data almost blew my cover."  
  
"Haha. Good old Data. WHOA!" CRASH.  
  
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!" Amanda laughed. Wesley, while trying to get the lamps to stay had forgotten he had his leg wrapped around the chair leg to brace himself and when he moved to jump down, took the whole thing down with him. He was currently stuck under the chairs and the table was lying across his thighs.  
  
"GOD that hurt." he said and climbed out from under the wreckage.  
  
Amanda, trying to keep her laughter under control, had spit ice cream across the coffee table. Putting her carton down, she stared at Wesley and said, "Well that's one way to bring the house down." And cracked up laughing again.  
  
"I'm going to sickbay."  
  
"HAHAHAYOU DO THATHAHAHAH!!!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The next day was the dreaded Calculus final. But considering she got to look at her sexy math teacher, Mr. Camplese, one last time, it was all good.  
  
Upon entering class the students found the final waiting on there desks. Amanda sat down in her usual chair in the back and took out her calculator and pencil. The test was pretty simple so far, but near the middle she came across a question she thought she could answer. It said, what is 180 in radians. She raised her hand.  
  
"Yes Amanda?" he said, rather bored, moving a chess piece around the board in front of him.  
  
"I was wondering, on question 30, where it's talking about Radians, can we use our calculators?" Around her students murmured in agreement.  
  
"Well, of course, you can use the them throughout the test. Ooohhhh but your calculators are in DEGREEEEES."  
  
A round of sighs and curses filled the room and then went silent again. "Crap, I'll just skip it for now." And she continued on with the test. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
An hour later she was headed for Data's laboratory. It seemed that Geordi, Wesley, and Data had figured out a way to send them home, and Amanda was most eager to go.  
  
Halfway there she ran into her parents and they journeyed the rest of the way together. "So how was the Calculus test?" asked her mother. "It wasn't that bad, though you could have refrained from putting me in classes till we were sure I couldn't be sent home. But whatever."  
  
"Well, we just figured it would keep your mind off of it for awhile." Said Picard. She felt like she had a guard, Picard was on her right and Beverly on her left.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
They reached the lab in silence and Amanda entered first, hearing the swish of the doors as she passed. "So what's up boys?"  
  
"Well we have successfully recreated the events that took place the day you time traveled. You appeared in this lab so this is where we will send you back." said Geordi, moving his hands around to signify he that he meant this room.  
  
"We have also recreated your experiment and with a little help from Wesley we will be able to send you back. But we'll have to do it one by one. Which one of you wants to go first?" Geordi asked and turned on the machine.  
  
"I guess I will, mom will be even more upset if Data appears and I don't. No offense Data."  
  
"None taken. I completely agree with your decision."  
  
"Step onto the plat form and we'll get started." Said Geordi as he played around with more buttons.  
  
"I guess this is goodbye then." She said to Beverly and Picard. "If you ever have a daughter," At this they both looked at each other then turned back, "and she accidentally sets fire to the living room rug, go easy on her?"  
  
Chuckling, Beverly pulled her into a hug and released her. "I'll try."  
  
Amanda stepped over to Picard. "Sir." She said and saluted.  
  
"At ease." He said and put his hand out.  
  
Taking it Amanda shook it lightly then hugged him tightly, still holding his hand. As she walked to the platform she slowly released his hand and looked back once more, tears in her eyes. 'Their not really mine, their not really mine.' she repeated to herself in her head. Riker and Troi came in and she rushed over to hug them goodbye.  
  
Once on the platform Geordi manipulated some keys on his consul and then everything went black. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Reading her chart."  
  
"Put that down!"  
  
"I'll put it down when I'm ready."  
  
"She is awakening."  
  
"She's coming to!"  
  
"Amanda?"  
  
Opening her eyes slowly, the faces of Geordi, Data and Wesley swam into view. "Oh god. Cowardly Lion...Scarecrow...Toto!"  
  
"Question."  
  
"Not now Data!" Said Dr. Crusher as she rushed over. "Hey there. How do you feel?"  
  
"Like my head has been ripped off, my brains scrambled and my head stapled back on in the opposite direction."  
  
Beverly ran her tricorder over her daughter and smiled. "You're going to be fine. Just a mild concussion."  
  
"Where's dad?"  
  
Beverly looked stricken, then regained her normal composure. "He's..."  
  
"Right here, sorry I was in an important meeting, how's my girl?" Behind the captain was Riker and Troi, each of them beaming.  
  
"She's going to be fine, just a slight concussion. I guess you'll have to miss your game today sweetie." She said, stroking Amanda's hair.  
  
"WHAT?!?!?! WHAT GAME? I DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS A GAME!" pushing her mothers' hand away she jumped off the bed and started to sway. "Whoa, NOT a good move on my part." She grabbed her head and waited for the room to stop spinning and then started to head towards the doors.  
  
"Where do you think your going?" Said her mother, blocking her path. "I did not give you permission to leave sickbay!"  
  
"I'm....going...for a walk! Yeah...in the...arboretum. To clear my head." Still clutching her head she tried to walk past her mother but to no avail, her father was now blocking her path.  
  
"I'm sorry Amanda", he said "but orders are orders." With a flick of his wrist he motioned Riker over who unceremoniously picked her up and carried her to her quarters, Deanna in tow.  
  
"Well what's everyone doddling for? Get back to your stations."  
  
"Yes sir." they said and left sickbay, the Captain and CMO following in Riker's wake. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dropped onto her bed by Riker and tucked in by Deanna, Amanda soon fell back to sleep, dreaming of yellow brick roads and a color changing horse. "Why that's a horse of a different color!" said the shrill voice in her head. "Just click your heels together 3 times..."  
  
~The End~  
  
DocBevCrusher wrote this...as it says in the disclaimer. I, crusherjaneway, allowed her to do it. If it doesn't seem like I wrote it, that's why. All reviews will be forwarded to her. Ciao! 


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